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Set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, O'Brian's twenty-volume series centers on the enduring friendship between naval officer Jack Aubrey and physician (and spy) Stephen Maturin. The Far Side of the World, the tenth book in the series, was adapted into a 2003 film directed by Peter Weir and starring Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany. The film was nominated for ten Oscars, including Best Picture. The books are now available in hardcover, paperback, and e-book format.
In addition to the Aubrey/Maturin novels, Patrick O'Brian wrote several books including the novels Testimonies, The Golden Ocean, and The Unknown Shore, as well as biographies of Joseph Banks and Picasso. He translated many works from French into English, among them the novels and memoirs of Simone de Beauvoir, the first volume of Jean Lacouture's biography of Charles de Gaulle, and famed fugitive Henri Cherrière's memoir Papillon. O'Brian died in January 2000.
Patrick O'Brian was one of the great authors of the twentieth century, whose novels were often compared by critics to the work of Jane Austen and even Homer. A writer of breathtaking erudition, Mr. O'Brian evoked in complete and dazzling detail an entire world -- that of the British Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. In addition to formidable scholarship, Mr. O'Brian brought to his work keen psychological insights, a sharp wit, and fast-paced, heart-stopping action.
In a cover story in The New York Times Book Review published on January 6, 1991, nine years to the day before Mr. O'Brian's death, Richard Snow wrote that Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin naval adventure novels are "the best historical novels ever written. On every page Mr. O'Brian reminds us with subtle artistry of the most important of all historical lessons: that times change but people don't, that the griefs and follies and victories of the men and women who were here before us are in fact the maps of our own lives." In a Washington Post article published August 2, 1992, Ken Ringle wrote, "The Aubrey/Maturin series far beyond any episodic chronicle, ebbs and flows with the timeless tide of character and the human heart."
W.W. Norton & Company began publishing Patrick O'Brian's books in 1990. The previous year, Norton's editor-in-chief, Starling Lawrence, had read The Reverse of the Medal on a trans-Atlantic flight, fallen hard for the series, and had become convinced that Norton ought to publish Mr. O'Brian's works in the U.S. Norton decided to publish each new book in hardcover as it was completed and to bring out the earlier books in the series in paperback until they had caught up. The first season, Norton published The Letter of Marque (# 12) in hardcover and Master and Commander (# 1) and Post Captain (# 2) in paperback. Most recently, Norton published Blue at the Mizzen (# 20) in hardcover in 1999 and in paperback in 2000. At present, Norton has all of the books in the series available in uniform hardcover and paperback editions.
In addition to the twenty books in the Aubrey/Maturin series, Norton has published a short story collection (The Rendezvous and Other Stories) and three of Mr. O'Brian's other novels: Testimonies, The Golden Ocean, and The Unknown Shore. O'Brian has also written acclaimed biographies of Pablo Picasso and Sir Joseph Banks and has translated many works from the French, among them the novels and memoirs of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean Lacouture's biography of Charles de Gaulle. In April of 2000, Norton published Caesar: The Life Story of a Panda-Leopard, his very first book, begun when he was just twelve, and Hussein: An Entertainment, written when he was about twenty years old. Both of these books had long been out of print.
Starting in the early 1990s, Mr. O'Brian achieved, at long last, the critical and popular recognition that was his due. All of his new books published since 1993 have appeared on national bestseller charts, and his books have sold well over three million copies in the U.S. alone.
Mr. O'Brian once said, "Obviously, I have lived very much out of the world: I know little of present-day Dublin or London or Paris, even less of post-modernity, post-structuralism, hard rock or rap, and I cannot write with much conviction about the contemporary scene." [Patrick O'Brian: Critical Essays and a Bibliography, edited by Arthur Cunningham]. In fact, Mr. O'Brian often seemed to have walked out of another era, and in his interactions with his publisher, he displayed a level of courtesy and civility rarely seen in our times.
Author biography courtesy of W.W. Norton & Company.
J_Thomason
Posted June 12, 2009
While I understand and (to a limited extent) sympathize with some of the negative ratings this book has received, this is fast becoming my favorite series and I'm only on Book 7(?) The Surgeon's Mate.
There were occasional stretches of narrative that I only dimly understood, filled with 18th Century nautical terminology like "leeward", "close-hauled", etc. Some of this I am only now beginning to grasp, some I'm still clueless on. I simply read it through as best I could, happy for those who did understand it. Knowing all the fine points of sailing that O'Brien mentions undoubtedly enriches the reading experience, but it is by no means necessary. Three pages of text can either have you running to a dictionary, Google, etc. etc. every other word in frustration as one of the previous reviewers mentioned, or you can just plow through it to get the gist - something like "After a day-long chase, Aubrey was able to bring the French ship to battle by his ingenious method of cross-bracing."
The point is, the rest of the novel is so astoundingly good that to get hung up on not being able to follow all the nautical minutiae and jargon of the period is to miss the forest for the tree (lack of plural intentional). Each book seems better than the last, but I'm not sure if that's due to the books getting better, my being able to appreciate each one more, or some combination of both.
There is a reason that this series has been given such effusive praise, and it's not because those lauding it take delight in luring in and vexing unsuspecting readers: It's just that good.
9 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.barrya
Posted May 14, 2010
This is beautifully written and is much more than simply a series of sea adventures due to the skill and depth of the author whose fascination is with the relationships between the characters involved rather than simply writing about dashing heroes in heroic engagements.
The latter is there, certainly, but O'Brian quickly saw that he had an ideal setting in which to examine characters and their relationships by placing his characters into the narrow confines of the British warships of the period - the Napoleonic Wars. The series covers the period from about 1796 to the start of the 1820s.
His first five or so novels in the series are based on engagements that actually took place, his research including reading the logs kept by the Captains involved.
As inspiration for Captain Aubrey, he no doubt focused on the real life hero Lord Cochrane - you might also enjoy reading about him and his life.
Aubrey befriends a young physician, Materin, who is half Irish and half Catalonian, both peoples subjected by conquering powers - the English and the Spanish. Materin longs for Irish independence from England, but he abhors Napoleon even more.
It takes O'Brian about three books to begin to truly realize the depth and potential of his characters. Materin is revealed as a naturalist of note, a secret spy for the Navy against the French and her allies, and a man of great depth but with a violent core which makes him, when fully aroused, a ferocious enemy.
Aubrey, in keeping with much actual history, is a brilliant and "scientific" captain, quite adept at math, grinding lenses to make his own telescopes, a fierce and fearless fighter asea -- but often oftimes quite lost ashore, gullible, and with many of the traditional weaknesses of the sailors who sometimes spent years away from home on their adventures and for whom their ties and vows existed not very far beyond the shores of their own homes.... Materin, in contrast, is a force truly to be reckoned with ashore, but is ever in danger of stepping wrong and drowning at sea.
Illustrating their characters, Aubrey plays the violin, and plays it quite well, whereas Materin's instrument is the cello, with its deeper and perhaps more mysterious tones.
Women, as characters, don't really enter the series until the third book or so, and it helps to keep in mind that O'Brian is taking a long view of things and is quite content to take three books to actually develop his female characters.
The writing is excellent, the characters interesting, events do occur to carry things along, but they move at the pace of the wind, this being the age of sailing ships. You will near the end of each volume saying to yourself there's no way he can resolve this situation in the few pages remaining, it must carry on to the next volume, but each book is complete unto itself - in every case he wraps the story up and finishes it, then plants the seeds for the next book in the series.
i found them calming, satisfying, a view into a different age. And during the series, O'Brian takes you on journeys to various areas around the world at that time.
Enjoyable and with 20 books in the series, lots of chances to continue to follow characters you come to know and appreciate.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin naval series is a true classic. The underappreciated film led me to this book, and I am ever so glad it did! You can almost feel the salty sea-spray while reading this fine novel. No other author can conjure up life aboard a man-of-war as O'Brian. You will not be disappointed with this book or the entire series. Buy this book!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 20, 2009
Master and Commander is the siren song fo the greatest adventure series ever--the Aubrey Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian. Read this at your peril, for you will be swept into a world of 20 books and at least two essential companion guides that will make the arcane world of the 19th century British Navy a key part of your everyday life. Absolute reading pleasure!
Enjoy!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I enjoyed this novel, though not as much as Forester's Hornblower ones. Between Aubrey and Hornoblower the latter is more open to the reader. He is more thoughtful and human, possessing sentiments, worries, and confusions that one easily empathizes with. He is a deeply sympathetic character, a little bit more so than the braggadicio and excessive volubility of Aubrey.<BR/><BR/>Especially enjoyable in this work was the character of Dr. Maturin, whose blanket ignorance of all things nautical and his starkly different personality from Aubrey's place him in the position of representing the reader in the plot.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 9, 2008
I Also Recommend:
Once you get used to the mind-boggling ship jargon and quick paced action sequences, you'll guzzle this series down like a pumpkin-spice latte (and the best part is, it's good for you and you don't even know it!) O'Brian is a masterful writer who can tackle everything partaining to the era: music, scientific theory, politics, and of course, NAVAL SRATEGY. Not only is he a great historian; he is also Austenian regarding his characters. Stephen Maturin and Jack Aubrey have a constantly ameliorating relationship that is the basis of the books. Every character O'Brian writes is so REAL, so tangible, that I've fallen in love with most (despite their glorious faults) and love to hate the rest. <BR/><BR/>The best way to sum up the books is with something my sister said to me after I'd been ranting about my favorite parts of a later book:<BR/><BR/>"You should read these more often. They put you in a good mood".
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 1, 2012
First, ignore all of the hateful reviews. If you are seeking this or any of O'Brian's novels, then you know you are going to enjoy it. The HUGE advantage of the Nook copy is the instant dictionary, which solves the jargon/lingo issue.
Captain Jack and Stephen form such a strong dynamic that you want the next book immediately. The comparison to Horatio Hornblower is fair but the authors had different purposes. Again, give this series a fair chance.
Be warned: you will want an atlas and history book to know locations and the historical references.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 17, 2012
Start now.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 30, 2009
This book will press-gang you into the early 1800's at sea with the Royal Navy and it will be a decidedly better experience than that for those who really were pressed into service. It is the first of 20 novels (they do come in a 5-volume set) whose detail and adventure have yet to be equalled in historical fiction. Make sure to get the companion book, "A Sea of Words" by Dean King. It acts as a 500 page glossary for the myriad details of life at sea and ashore in the time of King George found it the 5 volume set the series becomes.
The most amazing thing is that all 5 volumes are page turners from the first. The characters are well drawn, the history is,by and large (a sailing term, you will learn), accurately portrayed and the detail is truly extraordinary.
If you have enjoyed Horatio Hornblower, this is an absolute must. It's Hornblower on steriods.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted September 25, 2008
There is something to be said for an author who understands that while 75% of the globe is water, only 10% of the Earth's population has ever sailed on it. In other words, trying to at least make an attempt to bring people into a read by lowering the hurdles they have to face in ship terminology, 18th century lingo and history (somewhere at the end of this book there should be a treatise on how one should tie a sheep shank knot). If you want a good read, but want to skip over every other arcane spelling and odd phrase (perhaps a well placed asterisk and corresponding notation of what a word meant would not be out of place here) then this is the book for you. I like the quirky characters, but it took me until after the first third of the book that I was able to generally follow what was going on. There's no doubt that the author put in the time needed for research, (rich details indeed) but his dedication to putting every single detail possible into one passage slowed the plot down to a plod. At various times the dialog read as if the characters were doing serious readings from a Monty Python script or had a mouthful of novacaine. I'm sorry, I really looked forward to reading this book. But for me, this is one occasion where the screen writer of a film cut to the chase and mined the original text creating something better. Get the DVD and try something else. And I thought I'd never say that.
1 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Posted June 4, 2008
This is a difficult book to start. It took me two tries before O'Brian's quirky style really became engrossing, but I cannot sufficiently express the delight that awaits the persistent reader. That said, I would not recommend M&C to those unacquainted with naval history or the period in general. Though loath to own it, I read most of the Alexander Kent series first. Despite being a poor writer and no historian Kent's shallow facile treatment provided a useful basis to understand the uncompromising but realistic complexity of O'Brian's books. After reading the whole Aubrey/Maturin series three and four times apeice, M&C is still my favorite. O'Brian's ability to transform years of research and study, volumes of cold, formal dispatches and logbooks into vividly evocative literature is particularly remarkable. For those who appreciate O'Brian's painstaking historicity, unadorned characters, and striking unique prose, this is perhaps the purest and most rewarding of the series. For those who don't, well, there's always Kent.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 5, 2008
I can't believe the negative review I just read re: Master and Commander. I've read all 21 books except the first--Master and Commander. For some reason I started with book #2 and ate up the series for a period of over a year--relishing every adventure. O'Brian's gift for bringing characters off the page is out of this world. Maybe the first attempt sucked, I don't know, but as an author and an age of sail fan, PLEASE give this series a chance if the first book doesn't bite you. It will take you wonderful places and made you do something not many books do anymore...think. No, you won't always like Aubrey and some of the choices he makes, and Maturin may strike you as an odd duck, but that's what makes these two characters so human and where O'Brian deserves his accolades-not to mention his gift for educating us landlubbers about life aboard a man-o-war and world history. I can't 'fathom' not falling madly in love with this series and recommend skipping #1 and starting with #2. Sound gushy? O'Brian's work changed my life in many ways. I took up age of sail research, wrote my third novel, got my scuba certification and have traveled to the Caribbean twice. I plan to go to England in a couple years and pursue my genealogy and learn more about one of the greatest naval histories on earth. So there!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 3, 2007
I have read the hype on this author and -- shame on me -- I bought into it. O'Brian clearly had literary aspirations (terribly envious of Tolkien, IMHO) and for those who think he achieved them, I salute you. You clearly have a greater stomach for pretentious tripe than I do. Pacing: None. Characterization: Who could admire a crude creature like Aubrey, whose sole virtue is his sailing skill? As for Maturin, if he came to a dinner party I would have to shoot him just to liven the place up. Symbolism: None. Dialogue: Contrived. Not even Jane Austen's Bennett family talked like this. Action: Detached, uninvolved. Theme: Missing one. Ah, but give the author an A+ for Literary Aspiration and if your idea of that is to abandon any plot, liberally sprinkle your prose with foreign phrases, Latin botanical and zoological terms, use the most obscure words in the OED, convolute your sentences, eliminate transitional phrases, and in general condescend to your readers, then you, too, could achieve the same literary heights as this Pretender. This is not literature. It isn't even good nautical fiction.
1 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 22, 2013
R u a black cat because they could cause
bad luck by crossing ur path.
Anonymous
Posted May 15, 2013
Lpl.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 24, 2013
Nice fatty! Lol
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Posted May 24, 2013
Rockaby pipin in the trre tops, if the winds blows the pippin eill drop, co-ought by fatty at 11'o'clock
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Posted March 31, 2013
Fang wants me to. So i will.
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Posted March 31, 2013
^~^ Ah. Thanks for the info. *she pats your head.* I'm going to sleep. I hope you decide to stay, Guthy.
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Posted January 5, 2013
This series is my favorite addiction! I've read it 5 times and will, undoubtedly, read it another 5 or more times. If you love the sea, history and good stories, there is no finer series.
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Overview